Although some territories can overlap, and they do live in close proximity, the platypus don't socialise at all outside of the breeding period from August to October. Platypus live alone, maintaining their own territory. There are two types of burrow, the basic which is used for normal day-to-day living and the more elaborate ' rabbit warren'-type used for rearing young. Platypus prefer slow moving bodies of water, and when not in the river or deep pools they live in burrows. They extend from Queensland in the north, to Tasmania in the south. The platypus can only be found on the eastern coast of Australia and lives around fresh water lakes and rivers. The reaction of science that this creature was a hoax seems quite logical when the physical characteristics are so unique. The poison they generate can however prove fatal for other platypus and has been known to kill a dog. While the venom can create an unpleasant reaction in humans, it is not strong enough to cause death. This makes the platypus one of only five 2 known venomous mammals alive today. During the mating season poison can be transferred by the spur to any threat or love rival. The male platypus has hollow spurs on each of its hind legs. Platypus hair is in fact thicker than that of a polar bear and enables them to keep warm in the water and on land where temperatures can drop to -17☌.īaby platypus 1 lose their teeth as they mature and these are replaced by grinding pads in their bills with which they pulp their food. They have very thick mammalian hair, which is dark brown on the outer layer and grey to yellow in the under layer. As nocturnal hunters who seek out prey with their eyes and ears closed, a platypus's bill acts as an electro-receptor sensing their quarry via electric currents created by muscular activity. They are so well adapted to the water they can close their eyes, ears and nostrils when underwater to facilitate their hunt for food. The tail also stores as much as 50% of their body fat. They are excellent swimmers and, to this end, have webbed feet and a flat paddle-like tail to assist with steering underwater. Their legs extend horizontally from their body which creates a shuffling gait when they walk, rather like a lizard.Īpart from the already-stated duck bill, the platypus has many other strange physical characteristics. The adult platypus is about the size of a small cat, is dark brown in colour, has bald feet, a flat tail and a blackish-blue bill. The resultant offspring featured the mother's bill and feet and the father's legs and fur, which really is quite a good description.
Physical CharacteristicsĪboriginal legend has it that the first platypus was the result of a union between a young female duck and a seductive water rat.
The name monotremata refers to the fact that, like reptiles, these creatures eliminate waste and reproduce from the same orifice, but despite this they are in fact mammals. The platypus is one of only three members of the order of monotremata, the other two being the long-beaked echidna and the short-beaked echidna. The Native Australians gave the platypus a variety of names including mallangong, boondaburra and tambreet. The fact the platypus family only consists of one member, and that the prefix 'duck-billed' is totally unnecessary for identification, appears to have passed most people by unnoticed. The word platypus comes from the Greek for large feet and duck-billed, well, because its upper bill has the appearance of a duck's bill. It is known worldwide as the duck-billed platypus. It is probably best to approach each aspect of the egg-laying mammal known as platypus individually, because then it is apparent why the scientific community were so sceptical - the immensity of its weirdness is obvious. A Dr George Shaw allegedly took scissors to the specimen in 1799 in the search for stitches. They confidently branded it the work of a clever taxidermist who had stitched together a mish-mash of animal parts to create the spectacle. It's such a strange creature that when first presented in Britain in 1798 the science community proclaimed it a hoax. The trouble with the platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is knowing where to start.
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